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i-MiEV doesn't survive Mitsubishi's updated EV plan

Mitsubishi will increase the number of electrified models in its lineup through the end of the decade, but the company's focus on crossovers will mean the axe for the aging i-MiEV. The flurry of new or updated models will begin arriving as soon as next year, and the automaker will offer nearly all of them in plug-in hybrid or electric versions, according to Automotive News. Rather than dedicated EVs like the i-MiEV, Mitsubishi will instead offer gasoline and electrified variants of a future lineup with three sizes of crossovers. The company will follow the current trend of coupe-like CUVs with its own version, including a plug-in hybrid option, between the Outlander Sport and Outlander sometime after the autumn of 2017, Automotive News reports. A new Outlander with a PHEV model will come after 2017, and a next-gen Outlander Sport with an EV trim will arrive around 2019. There won't be a Lancer replacement. "We are strong in SUVs and four-wheel drives. And that is what we would like to focus on as core models in the US market," Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko said to Automotive News. Mitsubishi already offered a preview of its next-gen CUV design language with the eX Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show. The compact crossover evolved the styling of the refreshed Outlander's X-shape grille, and it featured a floating roof that created the appearance of a wraparound greenhouse. Power came from an electric motor at the front and rear axle and a 45-kWh lithium-ion battery. In the nearer term, the wait for the Outlander PHEV will finally end because the long-delayed plug-in crossover will launch in the US around the middle of next year. Earlier rumors suggested a possible arrival around April 2016, but the vehicle was previously reported to come here as early as the fall of 2014.

Junkyard Gem: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS

The Mitsubishi Lancer was available in the United States from the 2002 through 2017 model years, and nearly all of those cars were four-door sedans. The exception was the Lancer Sportback, a name first applied to a 2004-only wagon version and then to a hatchback Lancer sold for the 2010-2014 model years. I'm always looking for unusual Mitsubishis during my junkyard travels, be they obscure examples of badge engineering, long-forgotten marketplace failures or confusing special editions. Here's a 2010 Lancer Sportback, found in a Denver self-service yard recently. The Lancer name has a lengthy history in the United States, but all of it during the 20th century involved Dodge models. For 1955 through 1959, the Lancer name was applied to hardtop versions of Dodge's Royal, Custom and Coronet. Then it was used for the Dodge-badged version of the Plymouth Valiant for 1961 and 1962, with the Dart name gradually squeezing the Lancer name to the side during that second year. Lancers returned to American Dodge showrooms as members of the extended K-Car family, with rebadged Chrysler LeBaron GTSs sold here for the 1985 through 1989 model years. Mitsubishi began building its own Lancers all the way back in 1973, and some of those cars were sold here during the 1970s and 1980s as Dodge Colts, Dodge Challengers, Plymouth Sapporos and Plymouth Arrows. Plenty of manufacturers have used variations of the "Sportback" designation over the decades, with one of the earliest being the Nissan Pulsar NX Sportbak. Buick sold Regal Sportbacks as recently as 2020, and Audi still uses the term here today. The "Liftback" name enjoyed prominence for quite a while but has faded from mainstream use in recent years, while the "Wagonback" appellation never caught on despite Geo's best efforts. The 2010 Lancer Sportback was available in two trim levels: GTS and Ralliart. The Ralliart got a turbocharged engine, all-wheel-drive and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic shared with the Evo; the GTS had front-wheel-drive and a five-speed manual as base equipment (this car has the optional CVT with paddle shifters). The engine is a 2.4-liter straight-four rated at 168 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque; the Ralliart had 237 horses and 253 pound-feet. The MSRP for the 2010 Lancer Sportback GTS was $19,190, or about $27,193 in 2023 dollars. This one appears to have endured some lean times during its final months or years on the road, with several field-expedient repairs performed with tape.

Masuko to step down as Mitsubishi Motors CEO, Kato to succeed him

TOKYO — Mitsubishi Motors Corp said on Friday that Osamu Masuko will step down as its chief executive on June 21 and be replaced by Takao Kato, who is president of its operations in Indonesia. Masuko will retain his role as chairman of the board, Mitsubishi Motors said in a statement, adding that Masuko and Kato will hold a press conference on May 20 to discuss the changes. Japan's sixth-largest automaker, in which Nissan Motor Co holds a controlling stake, said this month it expects profit to fall to 90.0 billion yen ($821 million) in the year to March as it navigates slowing demand for cars, global trade frictions and the need to develop new technologies. Mitsubishi's partners Nissan and France's Renault are meanwhile grappling with the fallout from the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, the group's former chairman, who is facing charges of financial misconduct in Japan. Ghosn has denied all charges against him. Reporting by Stanley White.